GOAL SETTING (Part 2); FAVE RUN OF THE WEEK; WEEK #8!!!!!!

I touched on goal setting in an earlier post, but am getting back to it as goals and expectations change over time. On a personal note, one goal I set for myself this summer was to follow the Summer Training Plan that was suggested to you. Thus far I have been faithful to it and I am running pain free for the first time in a long time. I am also enjoying my daily run as much as I ever have. Another goal I had was to participate with the Captains on their Tuesday and Thursday core sessions. I have a 100% attendance record thus far and must admit I look forward to the bantering of this small, but dedicated group at each session. But these personal goals pale in importance to the goals I have set for our teams this Fall. In this, the 8th week of your summer training, I ask that you revisit goals you set for yourself in June. Have you accomplished any of these goals? Is it time to re-establish goals for your upcoming season? While your goals should be realistic, they should also be challenging. For example, I have my goals of getting BOTH the Boys and Girls teams to the All-State Meet. Both are realistic, but each team will have enormous challenges throughout the season. Our teams are relatively small, we must be injury free, and a core group of 7-9 runners from each team must put in his/her best effort if this goal is to be reached. One goal each and every member of the team should have is to be a part of this core group.

This summer I've had the opportunity to run a number of routes that are new to me. My FAVE run this week, and one which I ran for the first but not the last time, was an 8 mile out and back on a portion of the Burlington (VT) Bikeway. Most historians point to the railroad as the primary factor in westward expansion. This historian (OK, I was just a History major) feels the railroad served a greater purpose . . . to provide us great running routes after the rails are converted to trails! The Burlington Railway is an incredible 14.5 mile route along and over Lake Champlain. I only completed the middle third and thought it was about the best rail trail I've ever seen.

On the subject of Week #8 of training I present the following:

Week # 8 August 9 – August 15 (23-36 Miles)

This is our second easy week after a three week buildup. Your legs are, in all likelihood, not feeling great, but this an opportunity to give them a chance to recover. Stay off pavement as much as possible. If you do feel great, take the down time anyway. It will pay off in the long run. These scheduled down weeks are crucial to your body recovering and adapting to the workloads you have been building and will continue to build though our season. Training camp is just around the corner. Maintain your long run, take two days off and spread them out. Stick with your strength and core training, and don’t forget to stretch. All are critical elements of our training.